A Look Into the African American Life

A Look Into the African American Life Introduction- Both of Doves works show that there is an emphasis on the school of thought of separatism and a feel of black affirmation instead of protest.

I.) Personal Aspects II.) Connection of Authors III.) Through the Ivory Gate a. Summary b. School of thought connection IIII.) Thomas and Beulah a. Summary b. School of thought connection

Conclusion- Rita Dove is able to write about two different stories while still maintaining the idea of how the black community should remain united and separate from others and help each other overcome their hardships.

A Look Into the African American Life Rita Dove has a special way of connecting emotionally with an audience. She is able to tell a story and make the reader feel as if they are a part of it. Her works are mostly about the hardships of African-Americans. In Doves novel Through the Ivory Gate, the main character Virginia is limited in her career due to her race, which creates many problems for her. Her poetry book Thomas and Beulah is actually two stories in which she describes the characters search for happiness. Both of Doves works show that there is an emphasis on the school of thought of separatism and a feel of black affirmation instead of protest. It is very important to look into an author in order to get a better sense of what they are because they write about what they know. Dove grew up with a modest family who was always supportive of her. Her parents were hard working, and so she was raised to be that way as well. Through the Ivory Gate is a perfect example of her bringing aspects of her personal life into her works. The settings of the story are also set in the places she lived in such as Ohio and Arizona. The character in the novel, Virginia, begins to play cello in high school just as Dove did in real life. Also, Virginia and Doves father is a chemist who encourages education greatly. In a more literal sense, Thomas and Beulah is divided into two stories, one of her grandfather and the other of her grandmother, which eventually ties them both together. It is a pleasure to find that you can learn more about an author with each one of their works. Rita Doves style of writing is easily comparable to Toni Morrisons. In Thomas and Beulah, color plays a major part in setting the scenes as well as the

mood. Since what hed been through he was always jiving, gold hoop from the right ear and a glass stud, bright blue in his left (Dove, Thomas and Beulah 14). Toni Morrisons Beloved incorporates colors as well in many significant scenes. Another similarity in both of the authors style is the way memory and rememory sneaks into the story. Virginia in Through the Ivory Gate is constantly referring back to the past with anecdotes spread throughout the novel. It provides the understanding of the present because you also understand the past. It ends up tying it all together and creating one whole story that comes in a full circle. Through the Ivory Gate is about a young lady, Virginia, who moves back to her hometown. She had been in a puppeteer group, but they were forced to break up. Virginias original desire was to be an actress. Pursuing an acting career is hard enough, but it is the color of her skin that presented a challenge all on its own. Virginia is able to get a temporary job at an elementary school after she graduates college, yet she is discomforted by the racism she still has to deal with. She visits family members she hasnt seen since she was young and it changes her life. She finds out more about her familys dark past and the real reasons why they moved when she was very young. Virginias father is the character in the book with the most influence on the separatist emphasis. "He wanted us to know there were high civilizations long before white men came to massacre them, before Jefferson wrote the preamble to the American Constitution" (Dove, Ivory Gate 227). Here Virginia is talking about when her father would take them on trips to explore nature. Since the beginning of the novel he is a very proud man who honors where he came from and

wants his children to be proud too. To him it is important to appreciate the things untouched my white men and that quote describes his way of thinking perfectly. Thomas and Beulah is a unique way of telling a tale. A collection of poems brought together to tell the story of Doves grandparents. It intertwines the story of them being together with the historical events circling in the 1920s. Thomas has set out on a riverboat to get away from Tennessee along with his friend. The both have their separate stories but he eventually meets Beulah and they come together. It is interesting to see the way such different people come together because they both find peace in the opposite. Thomas enjoys playing his mandolin and is happy with the music. Beulah, on the other hand finds her comfort in complete silence. She wanted a little room for thinking: but she saw diapers steaming on the line, a doll slumped behind the door so she lugged a chair behind the garage to sit out the childrens naps (Dove, Thomas and Beulah 61). Beulah enjoyed herself most when she was left alone and while her children slept, it was her alone time. The poems in the book fill in more about their loves and give you a personal look into someone elses lives. The school of thought in this book is more black affirmation than anything. Nothing nastier than a white person! She mutters as she irons alterations in the backroom of Charlottes Dress Shoppe (Dove, Thomas and Beulah 63). This is one of the few times when the separation from whites is literally said or shown. The poems have a way of reminding the reader that it is not only whites who may have racist tendencies, or at least that they do not create a barrier all by themselves. The affirmation is lost in the beginning of the story, but they both help restore it. She

tells him. Listen: we were good, though we never believed (Dove, Thomas and Beulah 74). Here Beulah is speaking to Thomas, they are both reminiscing on their past. Beulah wants Thomas to know that color and race does not matter and that it does not have to define how you are or even hold you back. Both of the literary works are bound by the same thoughts. The idea of the difficulties of the average African-American is displayed so that others can be informed about it. The author provides this not for the pity of others, but just a look into what this one culture faced before and still faces today. The books do indeed have characters of white color, but it is mostly based on a black society. Rita Dove is able to write about two different stories while still maintaining the idea of how the black community should remain united and separate from others and help each other overcome their hardships.

Works Cited Dove, Rita. Thomas and Beulah. Pittsburgh : Carnegie-Mellon University Press, 1986. . Through the Ivory Gate. New York: Vintage Contemporaries , 1992.